Sticks & Beaters

Sticks

A lot of drummers try out different music styles with the same sticks, others hold a complete drum stick arsenal. The basic material is of course the elastic hickory, but the softer, less vibrative maple is also favoured, although it brakes easier. You need a lot of experience to find your own personal drum stick. But what´s most important for the sound and feeling are the following points:

• A thick shaft doesn´t only feel powerful, it also makes a mightful sound and lives longer than a thin stick, which is lighter and offers a more sensitive play.
• The length of a stick defines its balance. Long sticks are top-heavy, and allow a harder punch whilst shorter sticks are easier to control and faster to play although they have less pressure. This effect is supported by the length from the shoulder to the neck of the stick.
• A thin neck with a strong taper offers more weight at the top and therefore more power, but it is also bovine and therefore not suitable for complex or fast patterns.
• And then there is the tip of the stick which always matches the anatomy of the stick. Small tips sound airy and controlled. The bigger the tip, the more frequences activated and the bigger and louder the sound. Round tips sound clear, but they are also "head-killers". Pointed, water-shaped or oval tips allow more sound due to the different hit-angels. Yet, the oval- and cask-shaped tips have the biggest punch and assertiveness. Attatched nylon tips with their clear articulated and very concise attacks are favoured in jazz.

If you have a problem with blisters or sweaty fingers, you should try out the same model from a different company, ´cause the varnish or wax layers vary enormously.

Beaters

Beaters belong to the category of sticks, but are usually used in the marching, orff and concert field. In all three areas there is a big range of different beaters which mainly differ in stem length and tip material as well as in diametre. Some drummers sometimes use timpanists for soft cymbal beats.